The floor area of vehicles, in particular of small utility vehicles, such as pickup trucks or vans, is usually covered by a cladding arranged on the body panel that provides acoustic damping. Since the area density of the cladding is supposed to be low, foamed polymers are often used as the acoustically effective layer, e.g., based on polyurethane (PUR). This foam layer is traditionally referred to as an acoustic foam layer. This foam layer traditionally faces the luggage compartment and is covered by a rubbery material layer, e.g., thermoplastic elastomers. On the one hand, this material layer protects the underlying foam layer against mechanical and other environmental influences. On the other hand, the surface properties of the cover layer ensure slip resistance, and hence tread comfort. In addition, the cover layer has a decorative function.
The soft foam material of the acoustic foam layer yields a sufficient acoustic damping. However, soft foam material does not have enough compressive strength to support the rubbery material layer against mechanical exposure, e.g., to transported useful loads. Heavy loads can here dent this layer, leaving behind lasting imprints in the surface of the cladding. This is an economically significant issue, since an observer is given the impression that the cladding is of poor quality and the corresponding vehicle has been heavily used. In addition, dented spots pose the risk of damage to the cladding. Too soft a cladding on the floor area of the luggage compartment also imparts an uncomfortable and uneasy feeling to individuals doing the loading and unloading, i.e., limits surefootedness. By contrast, using harder foam for sound insulation would limit the acoustic effectiveness of the foam.